What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table?
Copies of my books (I assume? Will only the new title be available?)
Great conversation about poetry and all things Kentucky literary!
Some sort of swag? I would be interested in any recommendations ya’ll might have about what kind of postcard/bookmark you might suggest people generally are interested in taking. Do people bring candy like they do at AWP?
Whom do you invite to stop by? Who will benefit from reading your book?
Individuals who don’t think of themselves as poetry lovers will find this book particularly engaging for the story it tells about mental illness and our generally anxious culture. Other readers who know my work or are interested in contemporary poetry will be surprised by the divergence in form and style of this new book. For readers who have struggled to support a loved one with mental illness or worked to give a voice to their own story, I hope this book is the starting point for an important conversation.
Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book?
Though I have been publishing as a poet for almost 20 years (this is my sixth collection) I began my career as a playwright and short fiction writer, with publications in both those genres before immersing myself in poetry. I think my desire to tell stories and create characters still comes through in the strongly narrative component of my work.
Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?
(Hmmm… I participated in what I think was the KBF maybe 10 years ago in Frankfort but I think this is a really different event, so I’m going to treat it as a first time)
I am particularly looking forward to being surprised by old friends from the literary community and new readers and writers who stop by the table to chat!
